The Cinema Corner – July 14th

Movie of the week – Village of the Damned

This weekend the Irish Film Institute kicks off a retrospective of movies based on science fiction and fact. From the fiction end we get time travel head trip Primer (Friday), the sole directorial outing for acclaimed title designer Saul Bass in Phase IV (Saturday), post-apocalyptic New Zealand drama The Quiet Earth (Sunday), and the excellent John Wyndham adaptation Village of the Damned (Sunday). On Saturday you can catch some outstanding fact-based drama with The Right Stuff, Philip Kaufman’s tribute to the men who made the space race possible.

The Beguiled

’70s Clint Eastwood vehicle The Beguiled has been remade by director Sofia Coppola. This time it’s Colin Farrell as the injured Yankee soldier who seeks refuge in a house full of hot and bothered Southern women, led by Nicole Kidman here. This one feels very much like a watered down version of the gritty original, with little of the sweaty tension that movie generated so well, but it contains some compelling performances.

The Goonies

In recent years people have come to believe The Goonies is a good movie. It’s not, but it certainly has its fans, who will be delighted to know the movie is screening at the Lighthouse from a 35mm print this Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Give me The Monster Squad any day!

This is Spinal Tap

An ’80s movie more deserving of its reputation is Rob Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap, which also screens at the Lighthouse on Tuesday. A hilarious spoof documentary following the travails of “the world’s loudest rock band”, Reiner’s film had little impact on its original release, but has proved hugely influential on modern comedy.